What is that?

The story starts with a brick house with a green front gate and a grass area behind the house. Father and son are sitting on a bench behind the house. The son is intently reading the newspaper. While the father sits beside him looking bored. The son is in his 30s and the father in his 60s.

A bird flies into one of the bushes and the father asked,” What is that?”

The son looks up from his reading and answers,” It’s a sparrow.”

The bird starts to chirp in the same bush and the father asked,” What is that?”

The son answered impatiently,” I just told you father. It’s a sparrow.” Flips his newspaper in annoyance and carried on with his reading.

The bird flies off the bush and lands on a tree above the bench. And then lands on the stone pavement in front of the bench. The bird hops around a little.

“What is that?” the father asked again.

“A sparrow father. A sparrow. A s-p-a-r-r-o-w!” the son replies with great annoyance

“What is that?” the father asked again.

“Why are you doing this? I told you so many times. It’s a sparrow! Can’t you get it?” the son shouts.

The father stood up from the bench and walks.

“Where are you going? The son shouts on.

The father lifted his hand to stop the son from saying more.

He continues walking into the house.

The son sits on the bench looking at the sparrow and feeling drained out from his outburst of emotions.

The father returns with a book in his hand. Flips the pages to somewhere in the middle. Placed the book into his son’s hand and points to a section on the page.

The son look at where the father had pointed and the father says, “Loud.”

“Today is my youngest son who a few days ago turned 3. Was sitting with me at the park when a sparrow sat in front of us. My son asked me 21 times what it was. And I answered all 21 times it was…(he pauses) a sparrow. I hugged him every single time he asked me the same question. Again and again. Without getting mad, feeling affection for my innocent little boy.”

The father nods with a smile as the son reads.

The son closes the book and puts his arm around his father and kisses him on his head. And gives him a tight cuddle. There they cuddled on the bench while the little bird flies from branch to branch.

Happy father's day!

Watch this at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngmG72hgInM